ASIA'S richest man Li Ka Shing has compared the two cities of Hong Kong and Singapore, saying that Singapore - spurred by its lack of resources - has relentlessly sought to reinvent and upgrade itself.

By contrast, Hong Kong is "like a spoilt child", with populism on the rise.

It has to step up its game and sharpen its competitive edge, said the 85-year-old property tycoon.

In an interview with mainland Chinese news website Caixin published on Thursday, Mr Li outlined what he thinks are the differences between the two cities - traditionally pitted as rivals - when responding to a question on how Hong Kong should encourage innovation.